Technologys Impact on Children With Communication Disorders Essay

Technology's Impact on Children With Communication Disorders â€Å"†¦If all of my possessions were taken from me with one exception, I would choose the power of communication, for by it I would regain all the rest. Daniel Webster† (Lloyd, Fuller, and Arvidson 1). Imagine that you were born one hundred years ago and as you grew, you never learned to talk, or at the very most, could only communicate in two or three word sentences. What would you do? How would you make your wishes known to those around you? Remember, this is one hundred years ago and you didn’t have computers or other augmentative devices to â€Å"talk† with. Perhaps you are able to use your hands to write, but often communication disorders are joined with other problems like Down syndrome, autism, or cerebral palsy, all of which make it more difficult to control your hands. Be thankful that you live in the twenty-first century, where computers can help communicate as well as teach children with these disorders how to survive within a communicating world. I will discuss the impact, effects, and Christian perspective of technology on communication disorders. Impact of technology on children with communication disorders A communication disorder is described as, â€Å"‘an impairment in the ability to receive, send, process, and comprehend concepts or verbal, nonverbal and graphic symbol systems [ASHA, 1993, p. 40]’† (Owens, Metz, and Haas 14). Several years ago, people with communication disorders could get therapy to learn how to talk if they were able, but there wasn’t much that could be done if it was physically impossible to say the speech sounds. This person would have to go through life trying to communicate by hand signals, writing, and maybe a few choice wo... ...Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.; Baltimore, 1992. 175-202. Hjelmquist, Erland. â€Å"Form and Meaning in Alternative Language Development.† Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Whurr Publishers; London, 1999. 31-39. Lloyd, Lyle L.; Fuller, Donald R.; and Helen H. Arvidson. Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Allyn and Bacon; Boston, 1997. Nelson, Lauren I. And Julie J. Masterson. â€Å"Computer technology: Creative interfaces in service delivery. Topics in Lavguahe Disorders v19 n3, May 1999, 67-86. Owens, Robert E., jr.; Metz, Dale Evan; and Adelaide Haas. Introduction to Communication Disorders: A Life Span Perspective. Allyn and Bacon; Boston, 2000. Yorkston, Kathryn M.; Beukelman, David R.; Strand, Edythe A.; and Kathleen R. Bell. Management of Motor Speech Disorders in Children and Adults. Pro-Ed Publishers; Austin, Texas, 1999.